A cautery is a medical instrument used to conduct heat to skin or flesh for medical reasons. For example, cauteries may be used to stop bleeding or to relieve fluid under a fingernail that is swollen from injury by burning a small hole through the nail. Cauteries are also commonly used to induce hemostasis in ophthalmic procedures and for parting sutures.
Often, cauteries are configured as hand-held devices including a cylindrical housing which surrounds one or more batteries. Typically, a metal-wire tip is in electrical communication with the batteries. A switch or button is used to selectively apply electrical current to and heat the metal-wire tip. During use, the heated tip can reach very high temperatures (e.g., 2200° F.).
To prevent contamination and because of the problems attendant to sterilization, cauteries are often disposable and may be designed for a single use. However, the actuation button or switch on prior art cautery devices can be easily (and unintentionally) depressed by a user or object. This creates a risk of accidental actuation of the cautery after disposal.
Moreover, prior art battery-operated cautery devices are typically constructed having a solid, single-piece housing surrounding the batteries. This makes removal of the batteries a complex and burdensome process.